Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
- Proverbs 3:5-6
A university undergraduate was nicknamed Bullet for holding an unequalled three-year record of cheating to pass every examination without being caught. But Professor Makinde’s course was notorious for recording many casualties every session. When the results were released, Dennis, a Christian, performed very poorly. When a classmate asked about his performance, Dennis answered, almost inaudibly, “Bad, not good at all. It’s a carryover.” Expressing surprise, his classmate said, “How come, even Bullet scored a B+” Those words hunted Dennis for many months. Even Bullet scored a B+. And so Dennis decided ‘never again’! He too could be smart. He would also employ his ‘intelligence’ to his academic advantage. However, Dennis wished he had never made that ignoble choice many months later as he stood speechless before the Senate Panel investigating the allegations of plagiarism brought against him with regard to his final year project.
The truth is, your life is the product of the conscious as well as unconscious choices you have made over time. To be in control of your life is to take charge of the process of making your choices.
Now, choice is defined in one dictionary as one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen. This presupposes that at every point in time, we are presented with a list of possible alternatives. Our choice at that point will determine the outcome. Success results when we choose right; the opposite is the case when we choose wrong.
It was Eleanor Roosevelt who said, “One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes…. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.”
Regardless of your situation in life, challenges are no excuse for wrong choices. In admonishing the children of Israel, Moses said, “Choose life that both you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). Choosing right is associated here with choosing life. And you had better choose right as your choice will certainly affect not only your future, but also the future of your children.
Now, how do you choose right? By the Word of God! You choose right every time you choose to do what the Word of God says. As the psalmist said to the Lord, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). Solomon, the wisest king in his time, said in our opening text, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
So, what are the choices before you right now? Remember, the reason Jesus came is to give physical expression of God’s love for mankind. It was not convenient, but He laid down His divinity and took on the form of frail humanity. Today, over 2000 years after He made that choice, He is still being acknowledged the world over.
The choice before us, then, is what to do with this Jesus, the Saviour of mankind. If you are born again, the divine reckoning is that you are God’s outstretched arm to a needy world – a world ravaged by sin and its consequences. You have a divine mandate to show those around you the love of Christ. Tell somebody about the love of Christ. Much more, show somebody the love of Jesus. You probably have uncountable reasons why this cannot be done, but the choice is yours. Even your inaction is a choice!
If you have not received Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour, my question is: what do you want to do with this Jesus? There is no better time than now to receive Him into your heart. Again, the choice is yours. If you would like to make this greatest of all choices right now, then pray this prayer:
Lord Jesus, I confess You are my Lord. I believe You died and rose from the dead for my sake. Forgive me my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious blood. Fill me with Your Spirit, and help me to follow You all the days of my life. In Your most precious name I pray.
I would like to hear from you if you just prayed this prayer.
Please send a mail to pastortaiwo@tfolc.org
